Even for seasoned practitioners, instructional design can be a minefield. Which of the hundreds of methodologies developed should be used? What's the best way to use employ technology to engage learners? How do we create authentic learning experiences that have purpose? So many decisions! And sometimes our egos can get in the way of asking the questions we should or looking for the help that we need, and we fall back on tried and trusted techniques. We fail our learners when we don't acknowledge that there is often a better way to do things, and we fall into the deadly sins of instructional design trap.

When in Sin City, come hear the confessions of two sinners with more than 20 years of experience in instructional design. Crucially, however, they've learned from these missteps, are much better instructional designers as a result, and want to share this knowledge with you. You’ll learn about the seven deadly sins of instructional design through the lens of poor practice, and receive a range of practical tools and techniques covering everything from scoping, working with subject experts, assessment, media production, getting the best out of your team, and staying on top of your professional practice. Offering perspectives that will resonate with both managers and practitioners, this interactive session has been designed to inspire light bulb moments, provide 'in the trenches' insight, and, by taking a slightly irreverent approach, bring out the fun and enjoyable side of instructional design. You’ll be given templates and checklists that you can immediately apply to your craft…tools that will help you fight the good fight against those deadly sins! In addition to hearing from our two sinners, there will be bonus 'Dispatches from the Confessional Box', as luminaries from the profession confess to their own biggest sins and what advice they have to avoid them.

In this session, you will learn:

• About the seven deadliest sins (classic mistakes) of instructional design and how to avoid them
• Techniques to evaluate instructional design techniques to pick the one that works for best for your circumstances
• Approaches to working with subject matter experts to get what you need from them
• Approaches to working with clients that are truly collaborative
• How to work with your team/collaborators to ensure the best possible outcome for your project
• Ways to evaluate the media available to you and make choices that support your project's outcomes
• About the personal characteristics needed to be a great instructional designer and how you can develop them
• How to build assessments that add genuine value to the learning process

Audience:
Designers, managers, senior leaders